Resilience By Jamais Cascio: A Literary Analysis

In a world ridden with death, evil, tyranny, and corruption, many find it difficult to believe there is any good left. However, even with the existence of groups such as ISIS, the Taliban, and other oppressive institutions, people continue to fight for a happier and better world. Per the futurist author, Jamais Cascio, “Resilience is all about being able to overcome the unexpected. Sustainability is about survival. The goal of resilience is to thrive.” Certain people are wired to recognize problems in the world, and, not only do they work their hardest to live through those problems, but they also attempt to make the best of their situations. The theme of people thriving through oppressive environments reoccurs throughout history. For example, the Jews who survived the Holocaust managed to keep their dignity while the Nazis treated them as if they were worse than the scum of the

Africans, enslaved and brought to American plantations, sang songs and were kind to each other, hoping their children would not have to suffer through the same harsh reality. Any Russians who supposedly said anything even the least bit anti-Stalin were shipped off to the gulag and never heard from again, similar to the story told in Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn’s A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich. In John D. Sutter’s article Slavery’s Last Stronghold, he describes how former slaves in Mauritania have turned their lives around to help others still in slavery. Ken Kesey’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, the patients fight for their humanity against the tyranny of the ward system. Despite facing life in degrading and subhuman conditions, people display an enormous amount of resilience. By maintaining their humanity and dignity, people are more than capable of fostering hope and defeating corrupt situations in